Donald Tusk gives Ireland veto over Brexit deal

Donald Tusk, European Council president, left was welcomed by Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, in Dublin yesterdayPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images

The European Union has handed Ireland an effective veto over any Brexit deal, increasing pressure on the prime minister to make further concessions on the border issue.

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said any agreement between London and Brussels that was unacceptable to Ireland was also unacceptable to the EU.

Mrs May is due to present plans to unblock the negotiations on Monday. Sources in London and Brussels said they expected talks to continue over the weekend before the prime minister meets Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission. British sources described the meeting as a “staging post” and not a deadline, but EU diplomats warned that time was running out before a summit of EU leaders on December 14.

After talks with…

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